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Research conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect liver cells (hepatocytes), stimulating glucose production and leading to a condition similar to diabetes (hyperglycemia) in hospitalized patients, even if their blood sugar level was normal before they were admitted to hospital. An article on the study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings describe part of the [...]

Consumption of cannabis (marijuana) or derivatives during pregnancy can cause respiratory problems for the baby, such as impaired control of breathing and diminished sensitivity to carbon dioxide, both of which favor sudden infant death syndrome. These are the main findings of a study conducted in Brazil and reported in an article published in the British Journal of Pharmacology. The authors are researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) and the University of São [...]

A study involving 800 children shows inclusion of sugar in their diet and early interruption of breastfeeding to be the main factors that contribute to the appearance of dental caries by age 2. An article reporting the results is published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by solid food together with continued on-demand breastfeeding up to 2 years of age [...]

An article published in Science Advances describes for the first time a neuromuscular circuit that links the burning of muscle fat to the action of a protein in the brain. The findings, obtained in Brazil by researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the University of São Paulo (USP), contribute to a deeper understanding of how regular physical exercise helps weight loss, reinforcing the importance of this habit to good health. “We set out to study the [...]

A group of researchers based in Brazil and France have managed to discover markers left by exposure to sunlight in the genomes of people who suffer from cutaneous melanoma. An article about the study published in Nature Communications also offers a novel understanding of other melanomas not caused by the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. We found some of the alterations to be markers of the patient's survival. We were able to predict whether a person was more or less likely to [...]

Having shown that diet can influence gene expression, science is starting to find out more about how this happens. According to an article recently published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, a diet supplemented with or deficient in methionine, an essential amino acid abundant in eggs, meat and seafood, affects the expression of genes associated with liver cell fat metabolism and genes that modify chromatin, the coiled fibers made up of DNA and proteins that form chromosomes in cells. The [...]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can increase the benefits of aerobic exercise and improve the gait of patients with Parkinson's disease immediately after a session. Step time variability decreases, reaction time shortens, and executive control of gait is enhanced. These were the main findings of a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled crossover study of 20 volunteers by researchers at São Paulo State University's Institute of Biosciences (IB-UNESP) in Rio [...]

A pregnant woman infected by Zika virus does not face a greater risk of giving birth to a baby with microcephaly if she has previously been exposed to dengue virus, according to a Brazilian study that compared data for pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro and Manaus. A Zika epidemic broke out in Brazil in 2015-16 in areas where dengue is endemic. Both viruses are transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Some of the states affected by the Zika epidemic reported a rise in cases of microcephaly, a [...]

Quality of life relating to physical and mental health can be a key element in the treatment of obese adults. For this reason, interdisciplinary clinical measures including cognitive and behavioral therapy may produce more significant outcomes for these people, reducing not just weight but also symptoms of depression. This is the main conclusion of a study conducted in Brazil by the Obesity Research Group at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Santos, São Paulo [...]